Operation Eagle (Kosovo War)

Last updated
Operation Eagle
Part of the Kosovo War
Date15 August 1998
Location
Voksh and Sllup, in Deçan
Result KLA victory
Belligerents
Emblema e UCK-se.svg Kosovo Liberation Army Flag of Yugoslavia (1992-2003); Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006).svg Yugoslav Army
Commanders and leaders
Emblema e UCK-se.svg Agim Ramadani
Emblema e UCK-se.svg Bajram Mazrekaj [1] 		Flag of Yugoslavia (1992-2003); Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006).svg Milorad Rađenović   †
Units involved
Emblema e UCK-se.svg "KOBRA" unit from the 3rd Operative Group GO-3 (later renamed to 138th Brigade "Agim Ramadani") Flag of Yugoslavia (1992-2003); Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006).svg Yugoslav Army
Flag of Yugoslavia (1992-2003); Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006).svg Serbian police
Flag of Yugoslavia (1992-2003); Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006).svg 53rd Border Battalion
Strength
Emblema e UCK-se.svg 8 soldiers Flag of Yugoslavia (1992-2003); Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006).svg unknown
Casualties and losses
Emblema e UCK-se.svg none Flag of Yugoslavia (1992-2003); Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006).svg 6 killed

Operation Eagle was a military operation by the "Kobra Unit" of the Kosovo Liberation Army in the villages of Voksh and Sllup against Yugoslav forces. The engagement resulted in the deaths of six Yugoslav policemen and soldiers, meanwhile the KLA sufferred no casualties. The KLA also managed to capture Yugoslav ammunition and equipment, before withdrawing back to the Yugoslav-Albanian border.

Contents

Background

In 1989, Belgrade abolished self-rule in Serbia's two autonomous provinces, Vojvodina and Kosovo. [2] Kosovo, a province inhabited predominantly by ethnic Albanians, was of great historical and cultural significance to Serbs. [3] Prior to the mid-19th century they had formed a majority in the province, but by 1990 represented only about 10 percent of the population. [4] Alarmed by their dwindling numbers, the province's Serbs began to fear they were being "squeezed out" by the Albanians, with whom ethnic tensions had been brewing since the early 1980s. [5] As soon as Kosovo's autonomy was abolished, a minority government run by Serbs and Montenegrins was appointed by Serbian President Slobodan Milošević to oversee the province, enforced by thousands of heavily armed paramilitaries from Serbia-proper. Albanian culture was systematically repressed and hundreds of thousands of Albanians working in state-owned companies lost their jobs. [2]

In 1996, a ragtag group of Albanian nationalists calling themselves the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) began attacking the Yugoslav Army (Serbo-Croatian Latin : Vojska Jugoslavije; VJ) and the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (Serbo-Croatian Latin: Ministarstvo unutrašnjih poslova; MUP) in Kosovo. Their goal was to separate the province from the rest of Yugoslavia, which following the separation of Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1991–92, became a rump federation made up of Serbia and Montenegro. At first the KLA carried out hit-and-run attacks: 31 in 1996, 55 in 1997, and 66 in January and February 1998 alone. [6] The group quickly gained popularity among young Kosovo Albanians, many of whom favored a more aggressive approach and rejected the non-violent resistance of politician Ibrahim Rugova. [7] It received a significant boost in 1997 when civil unrest in neighboring Albania led to thousands of weapons from the Albanian Army's depots being looted. Many of these weapons ended up in the hands of the KLA. [8] The group's popularity skyrocketed after the VJ and MUP attacked the compound of KLA leader Adem Jashari in March 1998, killing him, his closest associates and most of his extended family. The attack motivated thousands of young Kosovo Albanians to join the KLA, fueling the Kosovar uprising that eventually erupted in the spring of 1998. [9]

Attack

On August 14, the Kobra unit orchestrated the evacuation of civilians and numerous wounded individuals from Junik, situated between the villages of Đocaj and Jasić. [10] Under the leadership of Agim Ramadani, the unit meticulously cleared the mined road for evacuation after every conceivable route had been booby-trapped. [10] Agim Ramadani devised and executed another Operation the following day. [10]

On August 15, 1998, Agim Ramadani, the commander of the 138th Brigade of the Kosovo Liberation Army, orchestrated Operation "Eagle" with the objective of assaulting the Žilović police station and Yugoslav forces in Voksh and Sllup, in the Deçan Municipality. [10] The operation was executed by 8 specialized KLA soldiers from the Kobra unit within the 138th Brigade, targeting a Yugoslav battalion. [10] The well planned attack started at 9:30 am and ended by 9:37 am. [10] Following the successful operation, the unit tactically withdrew, crossing the Yugoslav-Albanian border at 11:35 am. [10] The KLA seized a substantial quantity of weapons during the assault. There were no casualties among the Kobra unit, [10] while four Yugoslav policemen and two Yugoslav Soldiers were killed in the operation. [11] [12]

List of the Yugoslav personnel killed in the attack

Aftermath

Agim Ramadani withdrew to the Yugoslav-Albanian border and immediately after the attack, on the same day, at 12:30 am, Yugoslav forces launched a large-scale operation in the Deçan area. The offensive involved 46 tanks, four military jets, and eight helicopter gunships. Additionally, a significant number of troops, transported on 20 trucks and various other vehicles, were deployed in the offensive against the Albanian villages. The operation spanned eight villages in Deçan and ended at 6 pm. [17] In the following month on September 30, 1998, Agim Ramadani initiated his second notable operation against Yugoslav forces. [18] [19] This operation, named "Operation Fenix", would simultaneously become his most renowned attack on Yugoslav forces, further solidifying his strategic prowess and leaving a lasting mark in the conflict. [20] [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosovo War</span> 1998–1999 armed conflict in Kosovo

The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It was fought between the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which controlled Kosovo before the war, and the Kosovo Albanian rebel group known as the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). The conflict ended when the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) intervened by beginning air strikes in March 1999 which resulted in Yugoslav forces withdrawing from Kosovo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosovo Liberation Army</span> Ethnic-Albanian nationalist paramilitary organization (1992–1999)

The Kosovo Liberation Army was an ethnic Albanian separatist militia that sought the separation of Kosovo, the vast majority of which is inhabited by Albanians, from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and Serbia during the 1990s. Albanian nationalism was a central tenet of the KLA and many in its ranks supported the creation of a Greater Albania, which would encompass all Albanians in the Balkans, stressing Albanian culture, ethnicity and nation.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agim Çeku</span>

Agim Çeku, also known by the Croatians as the nickname Commander Scorched Earth, is a Kosovo Albanian politician, the former minister of Security Forces in Kosovo and formerly the prime minister. Of military background, he was a commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) that fought against Serbian rule in 1998–1999, earlier being a commander in the Croatian War of Independence in the Croatian Army.

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Skopska Crna Gora or Karadak Mountains, often called simply Crna Gora, is a mountain range and ethnographic region in North Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia. The highest peak is Ramno 1,651 m (5,417 ft) in Macedonia. The largest town on the mountain is Kučevište in North Macedonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Košare</span> 1999 battle of the Kosovo War

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agim Ramadani</span> Albanian Commander (1963–1999)

Agim Ramadani also known with nickname "KATANA", was an Albanian commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), an ethnic Albanian paramilitary organization that sought the independence of Kosovo from Serbia. He was killed in action during the Battle of Košare. After the war, he was declared Hero of Kosovo.

The Battle of Glođane was fought during the Kosovo War in the village of Glođane first on March 24, 1998, and again later on August 11, 1998. It involved the Kosovo Albanian militant group known as the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and the Yugoslav military and Serbian police forces. The clashes represented a series of military offensives launched by the Yugoslav army and Serbian police to address a growing KLA presence within Kosovo Albanian villages.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">April 23, 1998, Albanian–Yugoslav border ambush</span>

On the morning of April 23, 1998, a band of Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) fighters was ambushed by a much smaller group of Yugoslav Army (VJ) border guards near the Košare outpost, just west of Dečani. The fighters had been trying to smuggle weapons and supplies into Kosovo via northern Albania. Nineteen were killed in the ensuing attack, and a further two were captured. The VJ did not sustain any casualties. Some of the militants retreated back to Albania, while others managed to break through the ambush and make it past the Yugoslav border, into Kosovo. Following the clash, the VJ confiscated a large quantity of arms that the militants had been transporting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">July 18, 1998, Albanian–Yugoslav border clashes</span> 1998 Albanian–Yugoslav border clashes

On July 18, 1998 a Yugoslav Army (VJ) border patrol ambushed a column of Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) insurgents and foreign mujahideen just west of Dečani, on the frontier between Albania and Yugoslavia. The ambush resulted in the deaths of four KLA fighters and 18 mujahideen, most of whom were citizens of Saudi Arabia. Twelve militants were wounded, and a further six were arrested by the Yugoslav authorities and charged with illegal entry and gunrunning. The VJ reported seizing a significant amount of arms and ammunition that the militants had been smuggling. One Yugoslav border guard was seriously wounded in the clash.

Timeline of the Kosovo War. Abbreviations:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Paštrik</span> 1999 military operation during the Kosovo War

The Battle of Paštrik was a two-week confrontation between the KLA with NATO's support against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999, during the Kosovo War. The official goal of the KLA was to seize the border between Albania and Kosovo, and eliminate the Yugoslav units there. The offensive was codenamed "Operation Arrow" by the KLA.

Operation Fenix was an operation launched by militants of the KLA's "cobra" unit, which conducted two ambushes out of Albanian territory near the border outpost of Koshare on Yugoslav forces. Six Yugoslav Army personnel were killed. The KLA suffered no casualties, and captured Yugoslav ammunition, equipment and robbed the dead soldiers.

Sali Çekaj was a Kosovo Albanian commander of the Armed Force of Republic of Kosovo (FARK) and Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). He was killed at the Battle of Košare on 19 April, 1999 during the fighting with Yugoslav forces. After the Kosovo War, he was declared Hero of Kosovo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anton Quni</span> Kosovan politician

Anton Quni is the Kosovan Albanian and former Minister of Defense of Kosovo and of the Kosovo Security Forces (KSF), as well as the former Commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

Xhezair Shaqiri, also known as Commander Hoxha, is a Macedonian politician of Albanian descent, Imam and a former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and National Liberation Army (NLA).

Jonuz Zejnullahu was an Albanian Imam and soldier of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), best known for blowing himself up, killing himself and 5 Yugoslav Soldiers during the Battle of Koshare. During the Kosovo War, he was part of Brigade 138 "Agim Ramadani".

The Battle of Đocaj and Jasić also known as the Battle of Zharra was a battle fought during the Kosovo War between the ethnic Albanian paramilitary organization known as the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and the security forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia over the villages of Đocaj and Jasić in the Junik municipality in western Kosovo.

References

  1. ↑ Editori (2012-08-01). "FETNETE RAMOSAJ: BAJRAM VOKSHI - LUFTËTARI BESNIK I IDEALEVE TË ATDHEUT". Pashtriku (in Albanian). Archived from the original on 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  2. 1 2 Adam LeBor (2002). Milosevic: A Biography. New York. p. 276. ISBN   978-0-300-10317-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ↑ Miranda Vickers (1999). The Albanians: A Modern History. New York: I.B.Tauris. p. 97. ISBN   978-1-86064-541-9. Archived from the original on 2023-10-24. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  4. ↑ James Summers (2011). "Kosovo: From Yugoslav Province to Disputed Independence". In James Summers (ed.). Kosovo: A Precedent?. Leiden, Netherlands: BRILL. p. 5. ISBN   978-90-474-2943-2.
  5. ↑ Jasminka Udovički; James Ridgeway (2000). Burn This House: The Making and Unmaking of Yugoslavia. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. p. 322. ISBN   978-0-8223-2590-1.
  6. ↑ Judah, Tim (2002). Kosovo: War and Revenge. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. p. 137. ISBN   978-0-300-09725-2. Archived from the original on 2023-01-11. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  7. ↑ Dušan Janjić (2012). "Kosovo under the Milošević Regime". In Charles W. Ingrao; Thomas A. Emmert (eds.). Confronting the Yugoslav Controversies: A Scholars' Initiative (2nd ed.). West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University Press. p. 293. ISBN   978-1-55753-617-4. Archived from the original on 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  8. ↑ Judah, pp. x, 127–30
  9. ↑ Judah, pp. 138–41
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Veprimtaria Kombëtare e Heroit të Kosovës Agim Ramadanit- Katana". Bota Sot. Archived from the original on 2023-04-21. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "Serbia Info News / Members of the Ministry of the Interior - Victims of Albanian Terrorism in 1998". nointervention.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "List of killed, missing and disappeared 1998-2000". www.hlc-rdc.org. Archived from the original on 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  13. ↑ "RAĐENOVIĆ (Steva) MILORAD – Veterani PJP". Archived from the original on 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  14. ↑ "MISKIN (Mitra) ZDRAVKO – Veterani PJP". Archived from the original on 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  15. ↑ "ŠUKOVIĆ (Nenada) DRAGOLJUB – Veterani PJP". Archived from the original on 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  16. ↑ "VOJNOVIĆ (Mirka) GOJKO – Veterani PJP". Archived from the original on 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  17. ↑ "Kosova Daily Report #1522, 98-08-15". www.hri.org. Archived from the original on 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  18. ↑ Nikolic, Ivana. "Kosovo Ex-Guerrillas Await Yugoslav Army Ambush Verdict". Balkan insight. Archived from the original on 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2023-11-26. The indictment alleges that the eight accused men – Sicer Maloku, Gashi Xhafer, Demush Gacaferi, Deme Maloku, Agron Isufi, Anton Cuni, Rabit Alija and Rrustem Berisha – first prepared an ambush for Yugoslav Army border troops by laying anti-tank mines.
  19. ↑ Nikolic, Ivana. "Kosovo Ex-Guerrillas Await Yugoslav Army Ambush Verdict". Balkan Insight. Archived from the original on 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2023-11-26. A Yugoslav Army tank detonated the mine, killing one soldier and wounding four others, and then the KLA fighters opened fire on an army helicopter that arrived to take away the casualties, the charges claim.
  20. ↑ Nikolic, Ivana. "Kosovo Ex-Guerrillas Await Yugoslav Army Ambush Verdict". Balkan insight. Archived from the original on 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2023-11-26. The indictment alleges that the eight accused men – Sicer Maloku, Gashi Xhafer, Demush Gacaferi, Deme Maloku, Agron Isufi, Anton Cuni, Rabit Alija and Rrustem Berisha – first prepared an ambush for Yugoslav Army border troops by laying anti-tank mines.
  21. ↑ Nikolic, Ivana. "Kosovo Ex-Guerrillas Await Yugoslav Army Ambush Verdict". Balkan Insight. Archived from the original on 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2023-11-26. A Yugoslav Army tank detonated the mine, killing one soldier and wounding four others, and then the KLA fighters opened fire on an army helicopter that arrived to take away the casualties, the charges claim.
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